The present disclosure relates generally to an arrangement for, and a method of, processing products associated with bar code symbols and/or radio frequency (RF) identification (RFID) tags, and, more particularly, to a point-of-transaction, checkout workstation through which the products are passed and processed, while the associated symbols and/or RFID tags are read at the same workstation.
In the retail industry, it is known to read targets, such as one-dimensional bar code symbols, particularly of the Universal Product Code (UPC) type, and two-dimensional bar code symbols, such as Quick Response (QR) codes, associated with, or borne on, retail products or items that are passed through, and processed by, various types of workstations, such as a flat bed scanner having a single horizontal window, or a vertical slot scanner having a single upright window, or a bi-optical scanner having dual horizontal and upright windows. Each such workstation can have either laser-based or imager-based readers for electro-optically reading the symbols passed by, or presented to, either or both windows, and each such workstation is typically fixedly installed and stationarily mounted in a checkout counter.
RFID systems for reading targets are also known and are commonly utilized for product locating, product tracking, product identification, and inventory control in manufacturing, warehouse, retail environments, and like venues. Briefly, an RFID system includes two primary components: an RFID reader (also known as an interrogator), and an RFID tag (also known as a transponder). The tag is a miniature device associated with, or attached to, a product to be monitored and is capable of responding, via a tag antenna, to an electromagnetic RF interrogating wave wirelessly propagated by an RF antenna of the reader. The tag responsively generates and wirelessly propagates an electromagnetic RF return wave back to the reader antenna. The return wave is modulated in a manner that conveys identification data (also known as a payload) from the tag back to the reader. The identification data can then be stored, processed, displayed, or transmitted by the RFID reader as needed.
It has become increasingly common in some venues to provide RFID tags in close proximity to symbols on products, or on shipping cartons containing the products, or on transport pallets that support the products and/or cartons, because the RFID reader can complement the symbol reader in reducing time and labor involved in a number of locating, tracking, identification, and inventory control processes, and can also provide a higher level of accuracy as compared to only relying on the symbol reader when implemented in certain areas of the venue. One such area is checkout, where an electro-optical symbol reader in a stationary workstation is operated to read symbols, and where a separate RFID reader is separately operated to read RFID tags. The RFID reader can advantageously confirm that the products being checked out should be removed from inventory. The RFID reader and the symbol reader are typically contained in separate housings that are remote from each other. For example, the RFID reader can be stationarily mounted overhead on a ceiling of the venue above the workstation, or the RFID reader can be implemented as a portable, mobile device that is movable towards and away from the workstation. The mobile device is typically supported in an operator's hand during use, or is mounted either directly, or in a cradle mounted, on the counter, during non-use.
Although the known symbol and RFID readers are generally satisfactory for their intended reading purposes, the operator needs to operate two different readers at two different times. This not only requires a skilled operator, but also slows down the checkout process, which is undesirable not only from the retailer's, but also from the customer's, point of view. The workstation typically has a housing principally constituted of metal walls that form a metallic chassis. Heretofore, the RFID reader, and particularly its RF antenna, was not integrated with the symbol reader at the same workstation, because the metal housing walls would attenuate, or sometimes even block, the RF interrogating and return waves, thereby degrading the tag reading performance.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to integrate a symbol reader and an RF antenna of an RFID reader at the same workstation, to enable the same workstation to read both symbols and/or RFID tags despite the metal walls of the workstation, and to expedite the overall checkout process.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and locations of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The arrangement, workstation, and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.